From Saturday, 18th to Tuesday, 21st of October, the Gordon’s school Model UN team attended the annual Royal Russell school International MUN (RRSIMUN) conference. A 4-day long slog of lobbying, intense debate, and participation in the General Assembly took its toll on our minds and bodies, but we had a good time and will all look back on our experiences happily.
Hamish, Grace and Ammar were our top disco goers, who went to each of them every night. For those who don’t know the Royal Russell Discos, they normally involve a costumed night of music, dance circles, congas, and massive groups of people jumping around together in almost darkness with multi-coloured disco lights. The themes this year were Monochrome (single colour), Pyjamas, and Black tie. Pyjamas are a fan-favourite theme, so it repeats every year, but the other themes change each conference.
I myself took part in the crisis committee with Lucas, which involved debating about how to solve the issue of a nuclear bomb detonating over Seoul, and a North Korean invasion looking. While it may sound like a fun scenario, it certainly wasn’t for me, the delegate for South Korea. With most of my population dead and the rest gearing up for war, it was my job to ensure as much aid was distributed as possible and that war was limited. In the end, I helped to curate and finalise a resolution that promoted peace, reformed the UN, and helped my people. My efforts earned me an award, which was one of four achieved by Gordon’s School.
Hamish, Beth, Nathanial and I all earned ‘Distinguished Delegate’ awards for our contributions in our committees, and as we all were in the same country, we all earned the ‘Highly Commended Delegation’ award for South Korea. This is a massive achievement, as Royal Russell is one of the top MUN conferences in the UK, and it requires significant hard work and effort to get an award. Mr Moss was very pleased with us!
Will took part in the Security Council, a committee reserved for the most experienced delegates. Here is what he had to say about his experiences: “Over the weekend, we talked about the issues of the Cashmere region, the Israel-Palestine issue, and Human rights in the Sahel. The experience was fun and enjoyable, because I got to meet people from many different backgrounds and communities. The debate was fruitful and intense, and there were many debating hardships, but the overall experience was fantastic – especially when I made a speech about how the Vegas sphere was better than Bled castle.”
To finish off the article, I have to mention Aaryan’s Talent show saga. Each year, Royal Russell host a talent show, where delegates can audition to show off their skills. We’ve seen performances of all mediums, ranging from music, dancing, and even Speed Rubik’s-cube solving! For the past 3 years, Aaryan has taken part in the conference Talent show, and his charismatic performances are a crowd-favourite each year. He performed sing-alongs of some of music’s greatest hits, such as Coldplay’s ‘Viva la Vida’’ and OneRepublic’s ‘Counting Stars’. While he never won any of the talent shows, his exceptional crowd work was his strength, as he got the crowd roaring along with him. To thank him for his dedication, Royal Russell awarded him with a unique ‘Most Dedicated Delegate’ award, to show their appreciation of his contribution to the yearly event.
In conclusion, the RRSIMUN conference was a success for Gordon’s school and was a good experience for all, whether it be for enjoyment or for MUN experience.
– James